The DOI matches its Crossref record; 38 of the 38 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Nuclear energy: Between global electricity demand, worldwide decarbonisation imperativeness, and planetary environmental implications
Abstract
For decades, nuclear energy has been considered an important option for ensuring global energy security, and it has recently started being promoted as a solution for climate change mitigation. However, nuclear power remains highly controversial due to its associated risks - nuclear accidents and problematic radioactive waste management. This review aims to assess the viability of global nuclear energy economically (energy-wise), climatically and environmentally. To this end, the nuclear sector's energy- and climate-related advantages were explored alongside the downsides that mainly relate to radioactive pollution. Economically, it was found that nuclear energy is still an important power source in many countries around the world. Climatically, nuclear power is a low-carbon technology and can therefore be a viable option for the decarbonization of the world's major economies over the following decades, if coupled with other large-scale strategies such as renewable energies. These benefits are however outweighed by the radioactive danger associated to nuclear power plants, either in the context of the nuclear accidents that have already occurred or in that of the large amounts of long-lived nuclear waste that have been growing for decades and that represent a significant environmental and societal threat.
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In the citing paper
“nuclear power presents a distinct set of environmental harms related to disposal of nuclear waste, and increased water consumption required for cooling [92]”
From From Efficiency Gains to Rebound Effects: The Problem of Jevons' Paradox in AI's Polarized Environmental Debate (2025) · cites this paper as [92]
In the citing paper
“The study presents an estimation of approximately 1.2-2.4Gt CO 2 emissions that are prevented annually from nuclear power deployment”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, fusion power is characterized as a zero-emission technology (Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018;Gi et al. 2020).”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“While conventional fission-based nuclear plants are suggested to be phased out in future, the introduction of enhanced fusion-based nuclear technology may positively contribute to mitigation efforts in the second half of the century.”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“Fusion power is a new generation of nuclear power, which is more efficient than the conventional fission-based technology and does not carry the hazardous waste disposal risk associated with conventional fission-based nuclear technology.”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“Fusion power is a new generation of nuclear power, which is more efficient than the conventional fission-based technology and does not carry the hazardous waste disposal risk associated with conventional fission-based nuclear technology.”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“to be in line with the 2 °C target stipulated by the Paris agreement, nuclear plant capacity must be expanded to approximately 930 GW by 2050, with a total investment of approximately $ 4 trillion (Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018).”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, risk of environmental radioactive pollution is a major issue related to nuclear power, which is mainly caused through the threat of reactor accidents as well as the danger associated with nuclear waste disposal (Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018;Abdulla et al. 2019).”
From Strategies for mitigation of climate change: a review (2020) · cites this paper as Prăvălie and Bandoc 2018
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Prăvălie, R., & Bandoc, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Bucharest (RO)
- Corresponding author
- Bandoc, Georgeta
- ORCID
- Prăvălie, Remus
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Management
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-03
- Volume
- 209
- Pages
- 81-92
- ISSN
- 0301-4797 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2782515710
- Cited by
- 259
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 22 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 39 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9
- FWCI
- 1.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Management (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Energy Engineering and Power Technology › Advanced Power Generation Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality › Nuclear and radioactivity studies
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Global Energy and Sustainability Research
- Keywords
- nuclear energy, decarbonization, climate change mitigation, energy security, nuclear accidents, nuclear waste management, radioactive contamination, economic feasibility, environmental impact, renewable energy integration
- MeSH terms
- Conservation of Energy Resources, Electricity, Nuclear Energy, Radioactive Waste, Waste Management, Renewable Energy
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